Restaurant closure to note...

Cassoulet, which offered a bit of Old World dining and operated by Tiffany Hudson, has closed.

According to its Facebook page, the last day of business was Sunday, Dec. 29. The restaurant was at 6912 Hannegan Road at Hinote's Corner. It had opened in the fall of 2012 offering French and Italian cuisine.

No explanation was given on why it was closing in the Facebook, except to say it was time.

December turned out to be a busy month for local business closure announcements, including several well-known local businesses such as Sportsman Chalet and The Market at Lakeway.

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For the end of 2013, I've counted 53 brick-and-mortar business closings in Whatcom County. That's the lowest annual total since the financial meltdown in 2008. The peak was in 2009, when we had 89. There's no official count to local business closures, so I rely on things I spot, news releases and feedback from readers.